A year after being one of league favorites, Aggies will have to overcome odds

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Admon Gilder #3 of the Texas A&M Aggies celebrates at the end of their game against the Providence Friars during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Photo: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M is moving its operations outside, after having lost a load of size inside. It’s also why the Aggies have gone from one of the league favorites a year ago to trying to prove the naysayers wrong this season.

“We’re playing with a different pace, trying to play a lot faster and play more perimeter guys on the court,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “I feel like that’s going to be a strength of our team this year, as opposed to having a lot of bigs like we did last year.”

Naturally any program would love to have big men like Robert Williams, a first-round draft selection of the Boston Celtics, and Tyler Davis and Tonny Trocha-Morelos, but they’re gone from a program that made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for a second time in three seasons under Kennedy.

The Aggies, who also lost tall guard D.J. Hogg, are picked to finish 12th in the SEC out of 14 teams this season, a year after they were selected third (and finished tied for seventh, prior to reeling off a couple of victories in the NCAA Tournament).

Last season Williams was a preseason first-team pick and Davis a second-team selection. This year the Aggies didn’t place anyone on the first or second teams, although no one would have flinched if senior guard Admon Gilder had earned a nod on either squad.

“He’s one of the best players in the league when you look at what he’s done defensively and offensively, and just the experience he’s had,” Kennedy said last week, and prior to the announcements of the preseason teams. “He’s won a lot of games here in the last three years. He’s a really good defensive player, and I think he’s one of the most underrated players in the country, and he’s been that way since he’s been here.”

Gilder, who’s already served as a team leader the past two seasons, realizes he’s the undisputed boss on that front this season.

A&M’s starting lineup likely will consist of Gilder, fellow returning starter T.J. Starks, Savion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu, with the other starting gig up for grabs. Kennedy knows fans will need a roster to figure out his latest team at A&M, and he’s good with that, based on the success of more guard-oriented lineups at the pro and college levels of late.

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: TJ Starks #2 of the Texas A&M Aggies drives to the basket against the Providence Friars during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Photo: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

“A lot of people are having more success utilizing the 3-point line, whether it’s the Golden State Warriors or Villanova or Kansas,” Kennedy said. “… Michigan made a lot of threes last year … teams are utilizing the 3-point line and opening the floor up (for driving). It’s something we think is a strength of our team and we’re hoping to use that this season.”

The Aggies open their season against Savannah State on Nov. 7 before playing host to California-Irvine two days later. They play at perennial power Gonzaga on Nov. 15.

Brent Zwerneman is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle and chron.com covering Texas A&M athletics. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and Sam Houston State University, where he played baseball.

Brent is the author of four published books about Texas A&M, three related to A&M athletics. He’s a four-time winner of APSE National Top 10 writing awards for the San Antonio Express-News, including a second-place finish for breaking the Dennis Franchione “secret newsletter” scandal in 2007.

His coverage of Texas A&M’s move to the SEC from the Big 12 also netted a third-place finish nationally in 2012. Brent met his wife, KBTX-TV news anchor Crystal Galny, in the Dixie Chicken before an A&M-Texas Tech football game in 2002, and the couple has three children: Will, Zoe and Brady.